I am about to buy a Grand Cherokee, my first Jeep and first domestic car in quite a while. The only aspect I keep going back and forth on is whether to get the 3.6 or 5.7 (I am buying a Overland or Limited). What has been peoples general experience. Is the 3.6 pentastar sufficient? I do a significant amount of city driving in addition to HWY, what are people's mileage experiences with the vehicle? I am not expecting an SUV to be quick, but I don't want a dog. On the 5.7 what are people's city experience with it? I drive quite a bit, the extra one time cost is not a big issue - it's living with the choice long term.

I went back and forth on this and as already mentioned, you'll find hundred of threads on it.

In my opinion, the best way to describe the two is that the 3.6 is plenty of motor and if the 5.7 was not available, I don't think many would dog the 3.6L as they do. However, since the 5.7 is an option, it's easy to write off the v6.

Most reviews state the the v6 is more then sufficient for the daily driver. I do a lot of city driving (short 3-5mile trips) and also have to make 1-2hr hwy runs for work, so I elected to go with the V6. I find it to be just fine for everyday work trips and is great with the family, when needed. I really didn't feel the need to have a "quick" family getter suv, if you consider the Hemi Jeep quick. I'll go the car route for something quick and fast.

One thing I find interesting is we recently purchased a 2011 Traverse LTZ for the wife and it has a 3.6V6 with almost identical HP and Torque numbers as the Penstar 3.6 and all reviews rave about how it has plenty of power, blah, blah, blah. Yes, it's not a true 4x4 like the jeep and is geared slightly different, but they are almost identical in terms of curb weight, power, 0-60, 1/4miles times etc. and lack of power is never mentioned with it, it's actually praised.

Unlike the previous v6 model grand cherokees the wk2 does just fine with the v6, but of course the Hemi is a nice added bonus to a great ride. However, if you tow heavy loads a lot, then the Hemi is probably a good idea.

You have to understand that when it comes to engines..... mainly a V8 engine, guys tend to do a lot of chest pumping and start a pissing war even when their V8 isn't all that. I used to be like that myself until I found out that its not about the engine size but how the car uses its power.

With that being said, I also think some up the problem that people have is that a V8 engine will push you back more in the seat than the V6, however that push does nothing for the actual speed of the car. Case and point, drive a Lincoln Navigator or a Ford Expedition and then go WOT. You will get pushed back in your seat and you get a lot of sound from the engine but then you will realize that you only went from 50mph-60mph in a matter of a longish entry freeway ramp.

How come no one knows the claimed factory 0-60 times on the 6 and 8, even 1/4 mile times?

FWIW, the V8 is around a second faster in each regard. I think the V8 0-60 was around 7.0 and the V6 was 8.0. I don't remember the quarter mile times off-hand, but I want to say they were in the 15s/16s, respectively.

I could care less about the numbers as I don't thump my chest and get in pissing matches as the Escape driver mentioned above. I have spent extensive time in the seats of both and for me, the V8 has the power when you need it and is much more fun to drive. MPGs are close enough where it doesn't matter to me. Now if the V6 was getting in the upper 20s, then I would have given it more consideration. However, I have always owned V8s, so I may be a bit biased. Another selling factor for me was the proven engine design of the V8, while the V6 is a relatively new design on the market.

FWIW, I am looking at a 3.5L EcoBoost F150 as my next truck (the WK2 is my wife's ride), but I want to see that engine get a few more years on it before I commit, so it is not necessarily "V8 or nothing" for me...

The 3.6L V6 is adequate...the 5.7L HEMI is AWESOME! If you're asking the question, then you want the HEMI. I feel like the 3.6L is a compromise. The HEMI uses some more gas, but you'll never regret it when you put your foot down. Considering it only costs $20 - $25 / month more than the V6 for a similarly equipped Laredo X, it's a no brainer.

^ i considered both and elected to go with the V6. Other then decrease in power, I actually like the lighter feeling when driving around town over the hemi. I had a 4.7V8 WK and a 2007 Tahoe and the v6 matched both of those in terms of power, so i decided to go with the V6. I guess I was never really concerned about spirited driving with the jeep. The price is a non issue as i found no difference in price for the most part when looking at the preowned market and new. Dealers seemed to come off of the sticker more so with the hemi then the v6 for some reason, so they always ended up pricing out close to the same after dealing. I did go back and forth, but once i was able to get the v6 overland at a great price from one dealer, i just went with it. It's only been a 2.5weeks, but i have no regrets thus far, especially since I'm still on my first tank of gas and I drive it daily!

My past several Jeeps have all been V8's. I opted for the 3.6 as well and am very satisfied with it. The 3.6 pulls the same trailers/toys/boats I pulled with my V8's and honestly, it gets better mpg! Then again, my last several grand cherokees were full time 4x4 so that is another factor in the equation. Being I don't pull anything extremely heavy for more than a few hundred miles one way, the 3.6 gets the job done easily.

My last Jeep (04 WJ Overland) had a moderately built engine which performed great and was tons of fun to drive, but in all honesty, this V6 does everything the older V8 did....just not quite as fast.

I did ponder the Hemi and test drove quite a few, but I really have no need for the extra 2 cylinders. Getting older, I care less and less about my wants or what people think and tend to focus more on what works for ME.